A History of Sanskrit Literature c20.s1.19

c20.s1.19

The Ornatior seems to be by a Brahmin Cintāmaṇi Bhaṭṭa, who used the Jain *Pañcatantra* recension of Pūrṇabhadra (1199), though it is quite probable that an older form of the *Çukasaptati* was the source whence some at least of the tales of unfaithful wives were taken by the *Pañcatantra*. The Simplicior seems to be the work of a Çvetāmbara Jain, and it has been suggested that it is ultimately derived from a metrical form, while the occurrence of Prākrit verses has further given rise to the view that the collection may have been originally in Prākrit. The question does not admit of definite solution, nor is the work of great interest save in connexion with its western offshoots and its effect on vernacular literature. The eastern Rājasthānī version¹ is made from a Sanskrit original by Devadatta, son of Puruṣottamadeva, of unknown date; in it the judgement of Solomon is pronounced by a damsel.